Intel’s latest batch of NUCs are out and I took the Celeron model DN2820FYKH for a spin. For full specs, please refer to Intel’s product page. These little sub AUD$200 units seem perfect for use as a XBMC media centre.
Outside the DN2820FYKH
The front of the unit has a USB 3.0 port and a consumer infrared sensor. The power button and HDD LED are located on the front top as well.
As we head towards the rear of the NUC we see a standard lock hole for those needing to secure their units. The back of the unit contains the ethernet, HDMI, audio and USB 2.0 ports.
Inside the DN2820FYKH
Opening the NUC is still as easy as removing the 4 bottom screws:
The inclusion of a 2.5″ drive bay has added a little height to the new enclosure. That said, 2.5″ HDD options are plentiful compared to mSATA.
This unit is extremely fussy with RAM so make sure you check the supported list first. The RAM has to be low voltage (1.35v). I used a 8GB Crucial DDR3 SO-DIMM.
Installing the OS
An important thing to note with this unit is that it does not support Windows 7. Even though I managed to get it to install (a PITA process) a number of devices were still broken and refused to work without valid drivers. In the end, I installed Windows 8.1 Pro and that was an easy process.
Before you install the OS, be sure to read the following guide from Intel:
Windows 8 and 8.1, 64-bit versions:
1. Press F2 when prompted during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
2. On the Devices and Peripherals > USB menu, set USB3.0 (XHCI mode) support to Enable.
3. On the Devices and Peripherals > SATA menu, set Chipset SATA Mode to AHCI.
4. On the Boot > Boot Priority menu, in the Legacy Boot Priority pane, uncheck Legacy Boot to disable it.
5. On the Boot > Boot Configuration menu, in the UEFI Boot pane, set OS Selection to Windows 8.X.
6. Press F10 to save your changes and exit BIOS Setup.
7. Proceed with the installation of the operating system.
Installing XBMC
OK, now that the latest build of XBMC is installed, time to make some configuration changes to enable this to run in headless mode.
The first thing we want to do is make Windows 8 autologin. To do this, load netplwiz from the Run window (Windows Key + R).
Uncheck “Users must enter a username…….“. When you do this, the system will ask you to enter user credentials of the autologin user. If this is a shared PC, don’t forget about the risks of enabling this.
Next, we want to auto start XBMC. Type the following in Run – shell:startup.
When the Start-up window opens, create/copy a shortcut pointing to your XBMC executable.
IMPORTANT – You need to do this last step to ensure XBMC loads on top. If you don’t do this, XBMC loads in the background and you are presented with the live tiles Start screen. Right-click on the taskbar and go into the properties. On the Navigation tab tick the 2 options shown in the image below in the Start screen section.
Infrared Sensor
The beauty of the new model NUCs is the inclusion of a consumer level infrared sensor. I wasn’t able to get this working with XBMC initially but after removing the drivers and reinstalling from the Intel site it all came good. I am now able to use my Logitech Harmony One remote to control the unit.
Final Thoughts
For anyone looking for a cheap, silent and capable unit for XBMC, the DN2820FYKH kit is hard to pass up. BYO an SSD, 8GB RAM and supported OS of your choice and you have a solid setup that will suit most media needs. Whilst I experienced some teething issues getting everything up and running, I’m fairly confident that future updates will iron these out.
Can you comment on media performance? Does it do 1080p DTS (or “higher”) playback well? Any noteworthy issues other than those already mentioned?
I’m looking for a low-budget media player/streamer to incorporate in an all-Windows environment, and these seem like a very viable option 🙂
I’ve resolved all my issues so pretty happy with that. I’ve only tested 1080P playback but as the setup I am testing on is just the unit and a TV, I am unable to test DTS for the time being. Reading various forums there seems to be an issue or 2 with regards to DTS and Windows 8. I’ll try to confirm over the weekend.
Have a look through this thread. Most audio formats work ok except for 1080p hi10p with FLAC audio.
Great atricle thanks. Do you know if this headless mode will work with Plex running W8.1
Thanks, no reason why you couldn’t run Plex headless. Are you talking about the client or server?
Just the client only. I have the server running on a HP micro server. I will give it a try and let you know.
Thanks
Would a full size PCIE card fit if I wanted to replace the wireless card? From the photo it looks like there is some room.
I haven’t tried but don’t see why not. You thinking of a SSD?
I was thinking of something like this – http://www.option.com/product/gtm671wfsgtm679wfs/ so I can utilise mobile broadband.
Looks like it would fit. What about drivers? I couldn’t see any information on supported OS’s in the spec. Just remember that if you are running Windows, it’ll need to be supported under Windows 8. Previous versions of Windows don’t play nicely with this model NUC.
Hi
I want to create a client/server setup with a MediaPortal server recording DVB channels and supporting 2 XBMC clients (the clients not necessary NUC-clients).
Since it will run 24/7 I want to build a server that consumes as little as possible. I find as many the Intels NUC’s to be very interesting. The big question is which NUC will be submittable for this purpose.
I am sure that many will roll there eyes if I ask whether the DN2820FYKH would be enough to be used only as a recording and streaming server. Nevertheless I find it very interesting to hear if somebody has actually tried it and with what results?
Regards,
Krissi
Not sure about the NUC but my media is streamed to the NUC from my FreeNAS server which runs of the HP N40L and N54L Microservers. They are very popular due to the low power consumtion. That said, they are also a lot bigger than the NUC.
Hi Noeneel, How did you setup the Harmony One for this NUC? I can’t find the DN2820FYK in the Harmony software…
I used the Windows Media Centre SE one instead and it’s working ok.
Easy to install windows 8.1 professional… hmm i think different of it 🙂 Installed a legal windows 7 , bought windows 8.1 and downloaded it … checked it with upgrade advisor, say its oke, execpt secure boot issue (i will try it later on ) run it , install a part and hangs up with hardware installation.
So .. its not so easy as before ! thirst thing i go to do make a usb stick with windows 8 on it. than check the secure boot issue on it in the bios and pray that it is going to work !
As far now.. a upgrade from windows 7 to 8.1 is not going to work at the moment 🙂
What problems did you have? Did you make the BIOS changes as I’ve indicated above? If you don’t you will have issues with the Win 8 install. Mine was also a clean install, no upgrade.
Have you tested the speed yet? I mean USB3.0 HDD r/w, the gigabit Ethernet, or the wifi part. I want to use this one to act like a simple NAS.
I haven’t run any benchmarks but am streaming 1080P without issue via ethernet. Windows file copies are fine as well.
Hi, just a quick question, did you try and install Windows 7 on it or just windows 8?
I’ve done all the suggested steps in the BIOS incl upgrade to 0048 (latest) but when I start the W7 install I get a BSOD right after the installation is started. Any suggestions? 🙂
I did try Win 7 but after running into too many issues I went to Windows 8 which installed without issue.
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